Theme of the month - Shopping

London - Hot Shopping in Cool Britannia

The markets of Camden Town are right up there with Big Ben and Buckingham Palace among London’s most popular attractions. Every week, around 150,000 people flock there to buy trendy clothes and accessories, antiques, arts and crafts, and even furniture. On the weekend particularly, the narrow streets of Camden are so jammed with people that shopping could almost be regarded as an extreme sport. Luckily, many stallholders and shops now also open on weekdays

Hot Shopping in Cool Britannia

Camden Lock:Camden Market actually consists of six different markets, each with its own special feel. It all started in 1975 with Camden Lock Market, which sells lots of arts and crafts, but also has a number of fast food stands. Most traders originally simply plied their wares from stands out in the open, but many have now moved into purpose-built market halls.

Electric Ballroom:This over 50-year-old venue is a genuine institution on the London music scene. Although the Electric Ballroom is famous for having hosted Oasis, Public Enemy, Sid Vicious, The Clash and U2, it also morphs into the Electric Market regularly every Sunday, selling records, posters, T-shirts, tarot cards, jewelry and cool designer items. Right now, though, the place is fighting for survival in the face of plans for a new tube station on the site.

Historic Stables Market:The whackier, the better: Many of the traders at the Historic Stables Market specialize in fashion for subcultures like gothic and cyber. Shoppers will also find lots of vintage clothes here, as well as a huge array of antiques and furniture. With roughly 700 stands and stores to its name, Historic Stables is not just the most varied, but also Camden’s largest market. The historic building complex once housed stabling for carthorses and a horse hospital.

Cyberdog:Possibly the best-known store in all of Camden, Cyberdog supplies futuristic gear for the dance floor and underlines that fact by playing house music at club volume throughout the store. The label started out in the early 1990s with a small market stall and now has branches around the world, for instance, on Ibiza and in Brazil and Japan.

Punkyfish:Ask British teenagers and they will tell you Punkyfish is one of the hottest labels around. The brand stands for skinny styles and bright colors – and, of course, its famous logo, a fish with piercings. Like Cyberdog, Punkyfish was originally no more than a simple stall at Camden Market, but today has stores all around the planet.

Pepi’s:All kitted out in your cool new clothes, you naturally need a fresh look on top of your head, too – side partings and other such middle-of-the-road styles are mega out. Camden’s number one address for hot hairdos is Pepi’s salon. These days, owner Carlos Gomez is a familiar face on the pages of international fashion mags. His staff can be relied upon to experiment freely not only with colors but also with all kinds of accessories they will weave into your hair as a personal fashion statement.